UGallery newcomer Stow Miller working in his dorm room-turned-art studio

From a precocious painter working in his college dorm to a skillful sculptor working with industrial materials, the newest artists to join UGallery this month bring new styles to our gallery. We are pleased to introduce the following new artists:

Contemporary portraitist Geoffrey Stein left his job as a New York litigator over 15 years ago to pursue his creative passions. After studying at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, Geoffrey returned to New York with a new career: that of an artist. Based in a bright Garment District studio, Geoffrey creates portraits mostly from life, or from reference images he clips from magazines or his own photographs. Collage and layering are major components of the work. Varying degrees of abstraction within Geoffrey’s oeuvre set a range of emotional tones. “For me, there has always been a tension between the verbal and the visual,” he says. “I paint because I do not have words for the things the paintings are about.”

George’s paintings are inspired by his native Panama, where he was born and raised. The artworks are quiet, thoughtful representations of both city and country life. It might surprise the viewer, given the subtle sophistication of George’s paintings, to learn that he has also been a professional animator with the Walt Disney Company for over 30 years. He directed the 1988 feature length animated film Oliver and Co., and worked on other renowned projects including The Lion King. Now, George’s professional focus is on animation for Disney theme parks and special projects in China. When he’s not animating for Disney, he is painting on location in exciting locales including Shanghai and Panama, or from his home in Southern California.

With an education in architecture and a career in urban planning, it comes as no surprise that Jim Leland has a talent for painting cityscapes. Jim’s depictions of San Francisco exude a palpable timelessness--each scene could be representative of 50 years ago, or yesterday afternoon. The paintings are industrial yet peaceful. Each portrays a quiet corner of a bustling city that might be a challenge to encounter in daily reality. “There is a tremendous amount of editing or selection that goes into a cityscape,” says Jim. “Imagine looking down an urban street for several blocks--how many objects, people, vehicles, signs, lights must there be? As an artist I try to eliminate unnecessary items so I can convey the essence of the locale.”

Rebecca is inspired by capturing the glitches that occur in increasingly obsolete technologies. “I draw inspiration from the flicker of the television screen using an analog video synthesizer,” she explains. “This paired with a VCR and a CRT-TV helps me to generate crazy-looking glitched images. I take a ton of pictures, spend forever mixing colors, then turn the glitches images (or my dissection of the images) into paintings.” Conceptually, Rebecca is driven by the dichotomy of active and passive audiences. Observing a painting can often be a passive activity, but Rebecca strives to trigger more active visual consumption on the part of the viewer. “I disrupt the passive gaze using repetition and color to construct a powerful, visceral response to painting that both repels and hypnotizes without consent, demanding a continued engagement between the body and the eyes, much like the technologies we rely on today.”

Sculptor Atticus Adams’ body of work features meticulously-crafted dimensional wall hangings composed of industrial materials such as aluminum and stainless steel mesh. Each piece is intricately beautiful, but Atticus maintains that his inspiration is not driven by a deep or intellectual concept as is common amongst contemporary abstract artists. “I tried not to be an artist,” Atticus jokes. “But I think being an artist is like having a religious calling.” Every sculpture is a statement piece that Atticus hopes will bring happiness into a space.

Greg’s unique take on floral still life comes from his use of stretching printed fabrics to serve as his canvases. As a result, his backgrounds are delicate vintage country French and chinoiserie patterns that suggest wallpaper in each still life. The vibrant colors and bold lines of the floral arrangements feature strong layering on top of the patterned backdrops. “I enjoy building a painting,” says Greg. “Laying the paint and mixing the colors in such a way to achieve that moment, that feeling.” When he’s not painting, Greg designs and installs exhibitions at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.

Nancy Rhodes Harper has been making art since the age of five, and always knew it was her destiny to be an artist. Painting in oils and mixed media, Nancy’s work features contemporary, stylized women stylistically inspired by her mentor Milt Kobayashi. “I study with him every year for two weeks in Arizona. He is my biggest influence,” she says of the artist. Nancy aims to convey attitudes of sass, intrigue, and whimsy in her female subjects. Her favorite element of the painting is the figure’s face. “Expressions on the faces evolve and set the tone” of the work, according to Nancy. The personality of each painting can be articulated entirely through the glimmer in the subject’s eyes or her coy smile.

One of UGallery’s youngest emerging artists, Stow Miller has a fresh pop aesthetic that straddles a fine line between playful and provocative. The work tackles the convoluted arena of modern sexuality and the emotional complexities of young adulthood. Stow attempts to explore the ways in which young people perceive relationships and themselves using a cheeky visual narrative. His nudes allude to the sexual undercurrents of popular culture and commercial society, all the while remaining colorfully light-hearted.